Joe Jeter of Copan received the Outstanding Landowner/Cooperator Award, sponsored by OACD and the Nature Conservancy of Oklahoma. Jeter is a cooperator with and was nominated by the Caney Valley Conservation District. Jeter is a fourth generation farmer in Washington County who began farming his own land in 1971 while still in high school. Through conservation programs such as the Environmental Quality Incentive Program, administered by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), he has installed ponds, re-shaped terraces and sprayed weeds to fight soil erosion and invasive plants. Jeter also employs no-till farming methods to curb soil erosion and conserve moisture. His great grandfather B.H. “Bud” Jeter was a founding member of the Caney Valley Conservation District and served on the board until 1950.

In 1973 Joe received the American Farmer Degree at the 46th National FFA Convention – the highest degree of FFA membership.

On Joe’s Washington County farm, he grows wheat, soybeans, corn and alfalfa and alfalfa and established two fields of Bermuda grass a few years ago. Through conservation programs such as the Environmental Quality Incentive Program, he has installed ponds, re-shaped terraces and sprayed weeds to fight soil erosion and invasive plants. EQIP is administered by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Joe prefers to bale hay the modern way rather that the way his forefathers did in 1940.In the past few years, Joe has converted from square bales for his alfalfa to large round bales. He has found the round bales reduce labor and field waste and are more efficient for his cow/calf operation.

Joe uses No-till farming to grow grasses and soybeans and has restored 13 acres of native grasses with the EQIP program. He planted species including little bluestem, big bluestem, Indian grass, switch grass and sideoats grama using a No-till drill.

Joe doesn’t do it all by himself. His wife Helen, son Greg and wife Jessica, son David and wife JoLynn always help out wherever they are needed.

Joe has served on the Farm Service Agency board for Washington and Nowata Counties and currently serves on the Washington County Fair Board. The Caney Valley Conservation District appreciates Joe for his outstanding efforts to conservation our natural resources and for setting an outstanding example of applying and maintaining conservation practices on his land.